Conditioning machine



V. CANQ CONDITIONING MACHINE Filed Aug, 29, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENIOR %w l l ATTORNEY CONDITIONING MACHINE Filed Aug. 29, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR mv 2M ATTORNEY Y Patented Dec.' 30, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT oF-FICE VERNON CANO, F ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 MARYLAND AIR CONDITIONING CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND CONDITIONING MACHINE .Application led August 29, 1928. Serial No. 302,844.

This invention relates to article conditioning machines or devices particularly adapted for the conditioning of articles or substances where the material to be treated is subjected to changes in temperature and atmosphere such as in the instance of the drying of bread or cracker crumbs and where the conditioning of the material is more effectively accomplished by agitation thereof during the process.

The object of the present invention is to provide an im roved method and apparatus for the con itionin' of bread crumbs, cracker crumbs and t e like and consists of an improved design and structural arrangement of the apparatus adapted for continuous operation and to effect a progressive feeding of the material acted upon through the machine while imparting thereto a desirable agitation for the better exposure of the surfaces of the material to the action of the conditioning medium. The latter, as will be understood, in the instance of the drying of the articles of the character described may be a current of air suitably heated and dehumidiiied so as to take up the moisture from the material acted upon. For this purpose my improved ymachine or apparatus comprises a'suitable arrangement of supporting beds 4for the mass of material to be acted upon, which may preferably be heated by suitable heating means and over which the material is advanced by means of an endless conveyor belt and aitator. The agitator preferably consists o a belt formed of an open mesh wire fabric supported to have sliding bearing upon the supporting beds or tables, whereby as the belt is moved thereover the material will be received within the reach or length of the conveyor belt, thereby to actively utilize both the upper and lower lengths of the conveyor belt, increasing the operating capacity of the machineand obtaining a desirable compactness thereof.

The described and other valuable features and advantages of my improved apparatus will be more fully understood by reference to the accompanylng drawings wherein like reference characters are applied to the corresponding parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. `l, is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of an approved construction of apparatus embodying'the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2, is a vertical cross sectional view thereof on line 2 2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3, is a detailed view of the conveyor belt structure.

As illustrated, the approved embodiment of the features of my invention includes a suitable supporting frame l for the parts and a suitable lenclosure therefor, comprising vertical end .and side walls 2 and 3 and top wall 4, which may be lof sheet metal to inclose the material during the conditioning process and to confine the conditioning air or drying medium during its circulation through the machine.

The material during treatment is supported upon suitable beds or tables 5, 6, 7 and 8.

which are imperforate and are desirablyof sheet metal arranged horizontally and of the full width of the machine or enclosure and supported upon the side walls thereof. As shown, there are four of these tables in superimposed relation and operatively associated with the upper and lower pairs thereof, there are provided upper and lower conveyor and agitator belts a and b carried by suitably journaled forward and rearward supporting rollers or drums 10 and 11 and 12 and 13 respectively.

The conveyor and agitator belts are of end- I less form and the supportingrollers therefor are of 'a size and positioned, whereby the upper and lower longitudinal reaches'of the belts will have sliding bearing engagement with the upper surfaces of the material supporting beds or tables referred to.` The conveyor belts as hereinabove referred to are, in accordance with the present invention, formed of metallicv or wire mesh fabric, which may desirably be of the type as illustrated in Fig. 3, having interengaged flattened metallic loops having relatively open mesh with interstices of suitable size to receive a quantity of the material to be acted upon whereby it results that upon the movement of the belt over the table, the material will be propelled therebywith an agitation thereof, operative constantly to expose a new surface of the material to the effect of the heating and drying mediums.

The conveyor beltsmay desirably be carried by suitable link chains 14 arranged at their longitudinal marginal edges and central portions and connected thereto by cross pins or rods 15 threaded through the metallic fabric, as 'best illustrated in Fig. 3. To cooperate with the chains the rollers are provided with suitable sprockets 16, with which the chains are in mesh to maintain the proper alignment of the conveyor belts and whereby they are driven, for which purpose the rollers at one end have power transmitted thereto by means of suitably driven sprockets 18 having movement imparted thereto from the driving sprocket 19 by means of driving chain 20; the driving sprocket 19 being carried upon a driving shaft 21, having mounted thereon pulley or sprocket 22, receiving power from, a motor 24 through driving chain 25. v

vImmediately beneath' the material supporting tables 5-8 inclusive, suitable heating means therefor are provided. As here shown, this consists of a series of heating coils or pipes 28, through which steam may be circulated for the heating of the tables. At the upper portion of the machine a suitable entry opening and hopper 30 are pro'- vided, adapted tol deliver the material to be acted upon on to the uppermost belt and table at the left-hand side, as illustrated, from which position the material is yconveyed forwardly over the upper table, as indicated by the arrow, during whichr movement it will be agitated as will be readily understood.

Upon passing over the rearward edge 31 of the upper table, the material, being then unsupported, will drop from the meshes of the fabric upon the upper surface of the table 6 immediately below and having its adjacent end portion `in staggered or elongated relation to the table thereabove, fnom which it results that the material will be re-engaged by the return reach of the conveyor chain and thence conveyed in the opposite I,direction over the table 6. In like manner the opposite or forward end of the table 6'is shortened with relation to the adjacent end ofthe table 7 immediately thereunder, from which it follows that the material in similar manner will be dropped upon the succeeding table 7,

which at its opposite end is staggered with relation to the lowermost table 8, where the operation will be repeated and the material linally discharged into a suitable receptacle 33 from which'it is conveyed by a screw conveyor 34 to a suitable point of discharge.

During the movement of the material over the supporting beds in the manner described it is subjected to the heat of the heating coils or pipes 28 and provision is made to increase the drying effect by the circulation of an air current thereover for the purpose of absorbing and carrying oil the moisture ejected from the particles. For circulating the air, a motor driven fan 36 is provided having its intake connected by a conduit 37 with the exhaust ports or outlets 38 at one end of the enclosure and positioned with respect to the spaces' immediately above the respective belts. At the opposite end, the enclosure is provided in its side walls with the air intake ports 40 positioned at the spaces above the belts and com- 'conduitto pass in a return cycle through the enclosure thereby to effect an economy of heat-.

ing by reducing the heat loss. The fan, as here shown, has its rotor mounted upon a suitably journalled axle 48 having a'pulley 49 driven by belt 50 from the motor 60.

As will be readily understood, the air intake and outlet ports 40 and 38 are duplicated at the opposite sides of the enclosure with suitable cross connecting of the conduits thereto. While there is shown a suitable fresh air intake 42 to the air delivery conduit 41 it will be understood that where conditions require the fresh air intake may be through a suitable air conditioning or dehumidifying machine for enhancing the drying effect in which case the by-passing of the portion of the air from the discharge conduit 44 may be through the conditioning machine if desired.

. While I have shown and described an approved construction and arrangement of machine embodying the features of my presentv invention, it will be understood that varied modifications of structureand arrangement may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the -appended claim. It is accordingly intended that same shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.-

I claim:

In a machine of the character described comprising a bed or table for the material to be treated and means for conveying the material over said supportingdbed comprising a movable belt, said belt being ormed of flexible open mesh wire fabric and marginal link carrier chains having transverse connecting rods passed throu h the openings of the wire fabric, said belt eing arranged to have sliding bearing engagement with the upper surface of the supporting bed and adapted to receive the material lto be treated in the interstices thereof whereby it is agitated and conveyed by the belt as it moves over the supporting bed. y l

Signed at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, this 2nd day of August, A. D. 1928.

VERNON CANO.. 

